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The Shona are a diverse people who live in parts of Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Mozambique. Known for their stone carving, many Shona artisans quarry their own rapoko soapstone, which they chisel and polish with hand tools. This graceful pair represent the endangered wattled crane, a symbol of longevity whose habitat in Zimbabwe and throughout Africa is dwindling. Please accept variations in coloring and carving as each is handmade and unique.

Please see alternate product images for examples.

Approximately 4"W x 9"H x 3"D. 3 3/10 lbs.

Supporting traditional Zimbabwean art forms, like Shona stone carving, helps bring critical income to communities throughout this southern African nation. Once the prosperous "breadbasket of southern Africa," recent government actions have destroyed the agricultural industry that was the backbone of Zimbabwe's economy. The country currently has the highest inflation rate in the world, as well as the fastest shrinking economy, and unemployment is at 80%. Encouraging an international market for art and crafts exports enables those affected by the agricultural economy's collapse to support their families through the work of their own hands.

I bought the pair as a housewarming gift for a friend. He kept the large one and gave me the small one. He said that the color varied too much from the small to the large and they didn't look quite right together. The color on the small one was a slate, olive green color as expected so I was happy with it. Not sure what his looked like.

Bought as a gift for my girlfriend. She already has the giraffe ( fantastic! ) and the elephant ( nice ) sculptures. Wasn't sure which one to get. Thought the wing design on the shorter one was a bit awkward, so I went with the larger model.Unfortunately when I received it, it didn't fit in her display cabinet ( barely ). Also the stone had a rusty colour in it which, although still nice, didn't quite fit a bird sculpture. So reluctantly I ordered the shorter bird.What a surprise when I got it. It is gorgeous! The way the wing folds around the head looks just great, much better than in the picture in my opinion. So my suggestion is, if you order this product ( which you should ), go for the smaller one.